Crashes — North Carolina Permit Test

If a crash seems likely and you can, drive off the road, into an open field if possible, rather than into whatever is coming.

A field stops a car more gently than another car does. Leaving the road is the choice, not the accident.

Drive off the road, into an open field if possible.

If you are about to be hit from behind and the road ahead is clear, press the accelerator and move away, be ready to brake, brace yourself between the wheel and the seat, and press the back of your head firmly against the headrest.

Moving forward takes some of the speed out of the hit. The headrest is what stops your neck snapping back.

Press the accelerator and move away as quickly as possible;

In a crash you must stop immediately; failing to stop is a violation of the law. Take precautions against further crashes, help the injured, and make sure a law enforcement officer is informed at once.

Leaving the scene turns an accident into a crime. Whatever happened, the first duty is to stop.

You must stop the vehicle immediately. If you do not stop, you have violated the law;

If a crash on a highway causes no injuries, each vehicle that can be driven safely should be moved out of the travel lane onto the shoulder.

Two cars stopped in a travel lane cause the next crash. With nobody hurt, clearing the lane is the safe thing to do.

If the crash occurred on a main lane, ramp, shoulder, median or adjacent area of the highway and there are no injuries or fatalities, each vehicle should be moved out of the travel lane onto the shoulder of the road provided it can be driven safely under its own power and without causing further damage to the vehicle, other traffic or the roadway.

You must report a crash immediately to the nearest law enforcement officer or agency when anyone is killed or injured or the total damage appears to be $1,000 or more; failing to report can mean prosecution and a suspended license.

A thousand dollars of damage is a fender these days. Nearly every crash crosses the line, so nearly every crash gets reported.

You are required by law to make an immediate report to the nearest law enforcement officer or agency of any crash when any person is killed or injured or the total damage to vehicles and other property appears to amount to $1,000 or more.

After a crash you must provide your name, address, driver license number, vehicle registration number and insurance company, and get the same information from the others involved.

The five items are what an insurer and a court need to sort out who pays. Getting the other driver’s is as important as giving yours.

Provide your name, address, driver license number, vehicle registration number and the name of your vehicle insurance company;

The law protects a person who stops to render aid at a crash from civil liability, except for intentional wrongdoing or unruly conduct.

People hesitate to help because they fear being sued. The law removes that fear so the injured get help sooner.

The law protects persons who stop and render aid at the scene of an accident from civil liability except for intentional wrongdoing or unruly conduct.

If you do not know the occupants of the other vehicle or the owner of damaged property, write down all the information you can and give it to the nearest law enforcement officer; you should also report any crash to your insurance company.

A note under a wiper blows away. The police record is what the owner will find.

If you do not know the occupants of the other vehicle or the owner of damaged property, write down all the information you can gather and give it to the nearest law enforcement officer.

If a crash seems unavoidable, where does the handbook say to drive if you can?

Off the road, into an open field. A field stops a car more gently than another car does. Leaving the road is the choice, not the accident. North Carolina Driver Handbook, p.77: “Drive off the road, into an open field if possible.”